Office of Emergency Management

Emergency Management is the function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters.

VISION STATEMENT:

A safer future for the residents of St. Louis County through effective partnerships that are focused on saving lives and reducing the impact of disasters.

MISSION STATEMENT:

To work with the whole community to build, sustain and improve our capacity to mitigate, prepare, respond and recover from all hazards.

The OEM operates from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which is located within the Chief William Karabas Communications Building in Ohlendorf West Park, which also houses the Emergency Communications Commission and the St. Louis County Police Department's 911 Dispatching Center.

County Emergency Operations Plan

Radio Communications in Emergencies

An extensive radio communications operation is a focal point of the Center. Its significance is at the forefront during times of local disaster when it is imperative to bring the needed resources together to face a common challenge.

Severe Weather Warning

Training is provided to the general public regarding severe weather and how best to identify their onset and the proper precautions in that event. The Emergency Communications Commission (ECC) has a full-time staff assigned to maintain the integrity, operation, and maintenance of the county's 200 outdoor early warning sirens. Because the outdoor warning sirens are designed to be heard outside, we also recommend the use of weather radios in homes and business.

Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)

In accordance with State law and County ordinance, the OEM coordinates all activities of the St. Louis County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) in training, planning and responding to hazardous materials issues and concerns, i.e. storage of chemicals, and the response to and recovery from chemical spills and releases. The OEM works hand-in-hand with the St. Louis County Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team (HMERT) by providing training and funding for equipment purchases.

OEM Associations

The OEM interacts, on a daily basis, with many governmental and non-governmental agencies to ensure seamless integration during disaster response. Those associations include: